Tips

The Complete Guide to Scout’s tips and advice for Double Gameweek 19

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Scout Guide to Double Gameweek 19 ahead of today’s 11:00 GMT deadline.

The fixture schedule has shifted once again. Like a surreal game of Grandmother’s Footsteps, it’s moved every time you turn to look at it. 

Aston Villa lost and regained their Double Gameweek in a matter of hours, although they now face Newcastle United instead of Everton in addition to Manchester City. But the clever fixture juggling did not extend to Leeds United and Southampton, with their upcoming midweek game postponed to accommodate Southampton’s rescheduled FA Cup tie.

During these testing times, we can expect further changes with little warning.

In a letter sent last week, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters alerted clubs that they should plan for more matches being postponed or rearranged at short notice. And a joint statement from the Premier League, FA and EFL, restated the desire to complete the season in May.

So, who knows what twists and turns await? Could we yet see Leeds vs Southampton rearranged for Gameweek 19?

Shrewsbury, already without their manager Steve Cotterill for Tuesday’s tie, may suffer more ill-effects from coronavirus (COVID-19), or, by some miracle, could the Shrews beat Southampton on Tuesday? However unlikely, Leeds and Southampton would then both have a free weekend slot.

But that might be taking ‘Fantasy’ football a step too far. Sticking with what we know, here’s Legomané’s updated fixture ticker:

‘TBA’ fixtures Possible Gameweek Slots
Aston Villa v Everton24-to-28, 30-to-34, 37
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur 26, 32, 37
Burnley v Fulham24-to-28, 30-to-34, 37
Everton v Manchester City24, 26, 27, 32, 37
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur26, 32, 37
Leeds United v Southampton24-to-28, 30-to-34, 37
Manchester City v Southampton24, 26, 27, 32, 37

Triple Gameweek Scenario

Future Double Gameweeks, and possibly Triple Gameweeks, await Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

The two sides contest the EFL Cup final (coinciding with Gameweek 33), and are both still in the FA Cup and European competitions: should they progress to the latter stages, Spurs will potentially have to squeeze five matches into three available Gameweek slots, and Man City would have to fit five games into five free slots.

So no COVID-19 leeway and additional fixture shenanigans could lie ahead.

To Bench Boost or not to Bench Boost?

After the latest changes, a question facing many managers – and one tackled by our Scoutcast trio of Joe, Seb, and Karam – is now that Leeds and Southampton don’t have two matches in Gameweek 19, is it still worth using the Bench Boost?

The thing is, if you already Wildcarded in Gameweek 16, and you set up your team to Bench Boost, you need something bigger than this to back out from it. Because it’s one of the chips that if you don’t do it now, you will wait for another chance [and] you might have a lot of funds remain on your bench.

– Karam

Leeds-fan Seb added:

Ideally I want to be Bench Boosting all 15 players for double, unless someone crazy has got a great fixture, [but] often they might be more expensive, so typically you’re going to have medium to cheap assets on the bench, that’s the goal … On Leeds, so I think if you’ve been forced into this a little bit and you still want to use that Bench Boost, it’s not terrible. They’re playing Brighton at home … if you’ve got Bamford, Dallas, and Raphina on your bench maybe that is a Bench Boost – Bamford could score three!

However not all managers feel the same. Pro Pundit Az has been reduced to eight Double Gameweek players, scuppering any hopes he had for using the chip.

So, with fixture rescheduling putting any plans I had for a Bench Boost on hold, I am considering which chip I should use if any.

Instead the co-host of FPL BlackBox is contemplating using his Triple Captain. But Manchester United go to Liverpool with Bruno Fernandes (£11.3m) a booking away from a one-match ban, and Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) is out of form. Although both sides have favourable second fixtures against Fulham and Burnley respectively.

Buying Manchester City Players

The other challenge facing Az and those like Pro Pundit Darren Wiles, who used their first Wildcard late to set up a Gameweek 19 Bench Boost, is how to accommodate Manchester City players?

The Citizens didn’t feature in Darren’s original plans, given that they had just a single Gameweek before their fixture with Aston Villa was rearranged.

But they’ve since come into form with an eye-catching 3-1 win away to Chelsea, and Pep Guardiola’s side have now kept six clean sheets in their last eight matches, giving them the best defensive record in the league.

Ahead of enticing homes matches against Crystal Palace and West Brom, Jan Sienkiewicz sides with the captain poll in backing De Bruyne with the armband:

De Bruyne is a truly world class player and it should be only a matter of time before he matches his outstanding underlying statistics. With two home games against non-top-six sides, Manchester City should continue their winning run and De Bruyne is expected to be at the heart of the action.

All this leads Darren, in his latest article, to contemplate a minus 12 to bring in Kevin De Bruyne (£11.8m), Rúben Dias (£5.8m), John Stones (£5.0m) and Michail Antonio (£6.2m) for Harry Kane (£11.1m), Marcus Rashford (£9.6m), Kyle Walker-Peters (£4.8m) and Fabián Balbuena (£4.4m).

I am not rushing into any decisions but I feel multiple hits could be on the cards in order to get two or three Manchester City players in prior to the Double Gameweek and as part of my long term thinking.

– Darren

But the Live Hall of Fame No 2 remains undecided on whether to use the Bench Boost as it would include players like Che Adams (£6.0m), who is available for selection after recovering from concussion.

Tasty Transfers

In direct contrast to Darren’s multiple hit, Former FPL Champion Simon March used Marshmallows to demonstrate that patience is a virtue.

A graduate in behavioural economics, Simon referred to the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment in which children were given the choice of eating a marshmallow now or instead being given a second marshmallow in 15 minutes.

When they followed up 10 years later, the scientists found that the children who delayed gratification and waited for the second marshmallow, had scored better in their SATs, performed better in school generally and even had healthier BMIs.

Pro Pundit Simon likened this to wise FPL managers who save their chips for later in the season (traditionally the better time to play them), and the benefits of rolling a transfer.

Aside from giving you more flexibility in who you can sign, potentially shifting funds to different areas of your team, it also buys you an extra Gameweek of information and more thinking time.

Fantasy Favourite

A player both Darren and Az are tempted by is Michail Antonio. West Ham enjoy an appealing pair of fixtures in Gameweek 19, at home to Burnley and West Brom, but the question mark, as ever, is over Antonio’s fitness.

Ted Talks FPL offered some encouragement, observing that:

With Haller joining Ajax, West Ham must be confident that 1.9% owned Antonio must be back to full fitness, certainly in the short-term. He looks to be an excellent pick for Double Gameweek 19.

Pro Pundits Tom and Andy agreed, giving the Hammers striker the nod:

Michail Antonio is a bit of a favourite of mine and now he’s fit and got through 90 minutes I can’t leave him out. He’s averaging 0.47xG per 90 minutes so far this season. It’s down on 2019/20, but still excellent given his price. – Andy

I’m also backing Michail Antonio. Though he looks short of match fitness, he needs games, and as West Ham United’s only recognised striker, should see enough minutes across the two fixtures. – Tom

While Big Man Bakar, who was looking dashing in pink on the latest installment of The FPL Wire, reminded us of Antonio’s excellent early season form, despite the tricky start.

But is it too soon to take the plunge?

Team News

Frustratingly, as Colm Hayes noted in his press conference round-up, David Moyes did not provide a specific update on his injury-prone centre-forward, leaving Fantasy bosses wondering what to do.

In other news, Anthony Martial (£8.8m) and Pedro Neto (£6.0m) are doubts after suffering knocks in Gameweek 17. But both may still feature this weekend.

And Joel Matip (£5.4m) could return to Liverpool’s backline depending on how well he does in the next two training sessions.

Finally, new Fantasy Football Scout writer Jamie, ran the rule over Manchester United’s latest signing Amad Diallo and assessed the impact Robert Snodgrass (£5.7m) could make under Sam Allardyce at West Brom.

Community Competitions and Head-to-Head Fixtures

RedLightning rounded-up the latest Community mini-leagues and competitions in a hot topic yesterday.

The January to May League, which started scoring in Gameweek 17, remains open for those who want to track their progress until the end of the season. The code to join is h62bh1. The current leader is Denville Tyrell, who has risen from 29,903rd to 5,121st in the last two Gameweeks.

For those interested in the Head-to-Head Leagues, the main page can be linked to here. The fixtures for Gameweek 19 can be found below:

Use the drop-down menus to show your league and division. To find out which league and division you are in, follow the instructions on the main Head-to-Head page.

Once the Gameweek starts, if you click on your opponent’s name you will be linked to their team on the FPL website.

May your arrows be green!

TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

5,142 Comments Post a Comment
  1. Flair
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Ownership %s are going to be very high this week

  2. Pino
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    I kept Kane instead of bringing inn Vardy for -4. Have a feeling it was a bad move.

    1. Gudjohnsen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      50/50 call imo

      1. Rochdale_Cowboy
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        60/50 in favour of Vardy. But either way it will be a toss of a coin.

    2. CONNERS
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I think you made the right decision. People will be taking hits to get them back in a week or two.

  3. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    I can never see my cup opponent on fantasy premier league, only LiveFPL. Anyone else the same?

    1. Pino
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      no, you can just click on the match, both on PC and app.

  4. yalala
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 12 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    TC kdb.. Another gw not capping Salah, I feel a familiar sense of regret

    1. Lucky Z
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No Salah so perfect for TC KdB. All or nothing.

  5. BenDavies
    • 11 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    FPL starts off with a bang today...

    Johnstone owners unite!

    1. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      A pen save would set the week up nicely

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Except he doesn't start 🙁

      2. BenDavies
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Indeed, and a CS. Although for my heart I'd take just a CS...

    2. FPL.team
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Not in squad.

    3. El Presidente
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      1st disappointment of the day... WBA are awful

    4. Stockport Hatter
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I opted to go without thank goodness!!

    5. Scots Gooner
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Not in the squad? WTAF?!

  6. Sim Simma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    ⚽ Team News 📰
    WOLVES : Patricio, Semedo, Coady, Boly, Saiss, Traore, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Neto, Silva.
    Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Ait-Nouri, Gibbs-White, Vitinha, Cutrone, Shabani, Kilman, Corbeanu.

    WEST BROM : Button, O’Shea, Ajayi, Bartley, Gibbs, Livermore, Sawyers, Pereira, Snodgrass, Grosicki, Robinson.
    Subs: Lonergan, Furlong, Robson-Kanu, Krovinovic, Edwards, Peltier, Kipre, Field.

    1. ClassiX
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Oh,FFS. Stop it! 🙂

    2. ivantys
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      That wolves leak was right

    3. Luton_Fan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I knew i shouldn't have done the brewster to cutrone transfer.

    4. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Where’s Johnstone?

    5. Luton_Fan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I sold button and now he starts.

    6. Hooky
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Snodgrass in and Grosicki getting a start should help their attacking threat a bit but that WBA team is still not PL standard

  7. g40steve
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Who TC Antonio?

    Remember last season a few doing it.

    1. Nomar
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I was considering capping him, but he’s not had much gametime in last month which kind of put me off.

    2. Gudjohnsen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I'm just happy if he scores one goal in those 2 games.

    3. Front 442
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I have

  8. Nomar
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 14 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Sincerest apologies to all fellow Salah cappers.

    Blanks guaranteed now that I’ve capped him.

    Congrats KdB cappers. Took armband off him last night, so enjoy your double hauls.

    1. g40steve
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Bugger now you tell us.
      Your C history cannot be worse than mine 🙁

      1. Nomar
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Yes it can. Believe me!

    2. Debauchy
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No prob it's the TCs that are cursing you

    3. aleksaa2
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      You have nothing to do with that, only Zambian witch doctor.

    4. HonestBlatter
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Did the same...so blank is double confirmed now

  9. ClassiX
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    WOLVES TEAM NEWS
    Team to face West Brom: Patricio, Semedo, Coady, Boly, Saiss, Traore, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Neto, Silva.
    Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Ait-Nouri, Gibbs-White, Vitinha, Cutrone, Shabani, Kilman, Corbeanu.

    WEST BROM TEAM NEWS
    Team to face Wolves: Button, O’Shea, Ajayi, Bartley, Gibbs, Livermore, Sawyers, Pereira, Snodgrass, Grosicki, Robinson.
    Subs: Lonergan, Furlong, Robson-Kanu, Krovinovic, Edwards, Peltier, Kipre, Field.

    1. Bobby Digital
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Button... Shocker

    2. Hazz
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      No Johnstone 😮

    3. El Presidente
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Ah ah ah ah ah

    4. Gobigorgohome
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Button OMG

    5. Luton_Fan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Does any one remember button moon?

      1. Sim Simma
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        I do 🙂

  10. Pukki Party
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Adama will be highest scorer of this gw

    1. CONNERS
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I have a feeling it could be Antonio...

  11. Pepeye
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 3 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Got Mane in but had to lose Kane. Kept KDB captain as worried about Bruno yellow

  12. R.C
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Loooool rip BBers Johnstone not starting

    1. Wild Rover
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      gfy

    2. Nimby
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I could have bench boosted if I knew Button was playing!

    3. Stockport Hatter
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Well I’ve BB’d but don’t have him. Shove that in your pipe and smoke it!! 😉

    4. NoName
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      FFS has been filled with this dross the last few years. Insufferable.

      1. Flair
        • 3 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        He's rather malnourished with the inferiority complex he has. Don't worry about him, we can only tolerate and laugh.

    5. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Silence, clown.

  13. Tsparkes10
    • 5 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    No Johnstone hahahahaaa. I hate this game

    1. Skogen89
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Hahahahaha

    2. Luton_Fan
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Its fine u lose 6 pts max.

  14. Big boy Bowen
    • 7 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    WOLVES TEAM NEWS

    Team to face West Brom: Patricio, Semedo, Coady, Boly, Saiss, Traore, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Neto, Silva.

    Subs: Ruddy, Hoever, Ait-Nouri, Gibbs-White, Vitinha, Cutrone, Shabani, Kilman, Corbeanu.

    WEST BROM TEAM NEWS

    Team to face Wolves: Button, O’Shea, Ajayi, Bartley, Gibbs, Livermore, Sawyers, Pereira, Snodgrass, Grosicki, Robinson.

    Subs: Lonergan, Furlong, Robson-Kanu, Krovinovic, Edwards, Peltier, Kipre, Field.

    1. Andy_Social
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Is that Jeremy Corbyneux?

  15. mezza
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 9 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    Neto wingback

    1. GreennRed
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      You're easily amused.

      1. GreennRed
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Reply fail!

    2. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Or Saiss LB?

  16. pjomara
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 2 months ago

    What single gameweekers will do the most damage this gw to make you say I'm never going with 11 dgwers again?

    1. Free Hat
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I give Saiss, Son and Saka a high chance of hauling.

    2. Big boy Bowen
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Kane, Son, Bamford, Dallas

    3. Rochdale_Cowboy
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Bamford

    4. Mika-eel
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Kane.

    5. Party time
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Bamford

    6. R.C
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Hahahahahah first troll of DGW - No Johnstone, love it!!

    7. b91jh
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Button to Johnstone worked well then.

    8. ⭐ Bemba_Da ⭐
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Johnstone dropped

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Hardly

      2. G00LI0
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Was he totally dropped? Or. Injury?

        Bad start

      3. g40steve
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        BB not starting well

      4. GreennRed
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        How was he dropped? Their best player. Unless they're selling him.

    9. Tsparkes10
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I honestly laughed 🙂 BB fail already... amazing hahahaha

      1. Baines on Toast...
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Same. Felt weirdly compelled to check the team news as though this was going to happen. Oh well.

    10. BenDavies
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      I am genuinely speechless. Big Sam, what are you doing

      1. Wild Rover
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Obviously injured or virused

      2. Debauchy
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Surely ill surely

        1. Big boy Bowen
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Don’t call me Shirley

      3. Lucky Z
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Nothing to do with Big Sam IMO. He is not in squad.

      4. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Could be COVID

        1. Andy_Social
          • 11 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          I'm fine for this game - no representation. But if the Hammers game is called off (triple WHU) I'm dead!

          1. Big boy Bowen
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            Same!

    11. Pukki Party
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Rival did Button to Johnstone -4 for BB

    12. Debauchy
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Johnstone nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    13. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      That's just unlucky for Johnstone owners, feel for them. Brutal

      1. Big boy Bowen
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Same.

    14. Saint Tim
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Where is Johnstone?! -12pt BB strategy off to a great start!

      1. Tsparkes10
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Tell me about it hahaha, have to laugh

    15. Nanoelektronicar
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Button ffs??! I could've bench boosted lol.

    16. Digital-Real
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      why the F did i have Johnstone in my team

    17. R.C
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 2 months ago

      Mark has Johnstone?

    18. Party time
        3 years, 2 months ago

        Johnstone got stoned

      • Firminooooo
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 8 Years
        3 years, 2 months ago

        This is not even funny anymore. Johnstone on BB..........

        1. jammie26
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 2 months ago

          Calm down jonhstone owners FFS, you've lost a whole point by him not playing.

          1. Big boy Bowen
            • 7 Years
            3 years, 2 months ago

            It’s the lack of hope that kills